Two NES Games, One Cart From One Rad Dude!
My pal Sergio Elisondo is doing something special with his new NES project, which is currently on Kickstarter right now. They are sure to have killer tunes and killer gameplay.
Checkout the new NES project on Kickstarter HERE!
"Ninja" and "Ninja II" for the NES on one cartridge! Both of the games are finished and are being combined into one game for the NES and PC/Mac.
You may remember Sergio for his work with the mind-blowing "A Winner Is You" NES cartridge that is available through retroUSB.
Ninja Features:
1 or 2 players
9 Mini-games (Various Game Play Styles)
Over 10 Unique Soundtracks (Sergio Elisondo)
Unique Controls per Event/Mini-Game
Difficulty Setting of 1 (Easy) 2 (Medium) and 3 (Hard)
Ninja II Features
1 or 2 players
8 Mini-games (Various Game Play Styles)
Event Selection Screen (Practice Mode)
Over 10 Unique Soundtracks (Sergio Elisondo)
Unique Controls per Event/Mini-Game
Hidden Score System (Compatible with RetroUSB's AVS/NA Scoreboard)
Difficulty Setting of 1 (Easy) 2 (Medium) and 3 (Hard -- Activates Hidden Score System)
Extra Point Rewards (Beating CPU Quickly/Completing Events Faster)

The Homebrew scene is alive and has a voice! Actually, it has voices!
As the scene continues to develop and evolve, we now have an #8BitLegit Podcast to tune into for news and notes on the NES Homebrew community.
Captained by Nintendo Age users SoleGoose Productions and KHAN Games, "The Assembly Line" is keeping us up to speed on all things Homebrew including new games, new tech, hardware and anything else they deem cool enough to broadcast.
If you would like a little background on these pillars of the community that are making it happen, check out their work and releases at...
http://www.khangames.com/
http://www.solegooseproductions.com/
You can tune into the Podcast on iTunes and the GooglePlay Store.

One man's machine.
Three decades in the making.
Four buttons.
Supercharged with modern technology.
But why go through all the trouble?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1222722105/full-quiet-a-new-adventure-game-for-the-nes-and-pc

BIG NEWS!
We are currently working on a number of games including a brand new series for the NES that we will debut on Kickstarter Sept. 1 to coincide with PAX WEST!
We are so stoked to unveil the project and hope that you guys dig it.
Stay Tuned....

There is another new NES Homebrew game that has been brought to market and it uses........
THE POWER PAD!
Yes, that thing now has a new lease on life with Tailgate Party, which brings the game of cornhole to the Nintendo Entertainment System.
The game has single-player mode and multi-player mode with a ton of playable characters and a totally rad soundtrack from Zi.
Check out the forum on Nintendo Age to get in on the action:
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=6&threadid=174326&StartRow=1#top
This is truly great work from Tim Wurdinger and Orab Games. I really cannot wait for what they come up with next.

No complaining in this entry....
We have a NEW GAME to talk about from NES Doug!
There is a new NES homebrew game called Vigilante Ninja 2 that will be available soon on cartridge from my friend Doug Fraker.
The game has come a long way and is sure to garner interest in the homebrew community and hopefully beyond.
The game is action packed and could have survived on the NES in the 80s with no problem. The art style, music and gameplay is easy to get hooked on from the start. That is saying a lot, as a number of homebrews are clones or borrowed ideas from games of the past.
This is an original game, using all-original assets, all-original music (which is damn catchy) and original code built from the ground up by Doug.
Here is the link to the demo...
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/2ipv0bgxllf1z55/Vig2-DEMO.nes
BUT, BUY THE CARTRIDGE!
SUPPORT NES GAME MAKERS!
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Check out more at https://nesdoug.com/

Homebrew is not the best name to label and help identify new NES games on cartridge for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. I think we can start there and mostly all agree on that.
I am not saying I have a better name that I am willing to disclose at this time, but I just don't believe the label of "homebrew" does the industry justice.
From a guy that has seen his share of conventions, I have had way too many interactions with congoers involving the explanation of the difference between homebrew and hack.
It still astounds me how many people think they are the same or lump them in together.
This is where a serious problem in the NES "homebrew" industry lurks and provides a daily battle in the war of making video gamers aware of what we actually do.
Go ahead, do an eBay search for "homebrew hack." Currently there are 24 live auctions with those words in the titles. Some of those games being sold are a Super Mario Bros. 3 Remix and an Earthbound NES cart.
I think it is fair to say that those games are not homebrews and have no business using the word homebrew to lure customers into their den of deceit.
As the industry grows I do not see improvements in the identification of actual new NES games.
This is a big topic and I wanted to open up this can of worms now and return to it from time to time.
I would love to know your thoughts.
IBtiM

Second Entry: Midwest Gaming Classic 2017 Wrap Up - Not enough rats...
So yeah, the Midwest Gaming Classic was held in Brookfield, Wisconsin this past weekend and there were not enough 8Bitrats in the mix.
This is a problem where I come from.
A bitrat to me is a pure game punk that is not just going to a convention to try and find product to flip on the internet or find some Mom & Pop Video Game store slipping on their prices. Too many people focused on earning a buck on the game than enjoying the actual game. This leads to a bigger issue but I will get to that at another time.
So the Midwest Gaming Classic had some rad stuff to take in and most of it happened in the Nintendo Age room. For those of you not familiar with Nintendo Age, please go there at www.nintendoage.com and show some love. I am currently recruiting some of those peeps to support this site as well.
My pal Beau or Solegoose had his newest 8-Bit NES creation Spook-O-Tron on display and my god was it addicting. So much is happening in the NES homebrew community and Solegoose is one of those guys to keep an eye on. Spook-O-Tron is currently on Kickstarter and ending soon. Check it out, I backed it because frankly it warrants a true NES fans' money and support. The link is below.
Also, Tim Wurdinger showcased his NES Tailgate Party game which actually uses the Power Pad for a good reason. Imagine that, the NES Power Pad for a good reason. Great dude putting out great stuff. I was super stoked to get to meet him in person.
Last but certainly not least, my dude K3VBOT had Enigmacore, Cornball Cocksuckers and Kevin Power in Concert Carnage all for the NES on display in his kickass hombrew arcade displays.
So in closing, the Nintendo Age room saved the show for me.
Even with getting to showcase our game to hundreds of people, sell a good bit of actual cartridges and allow young kids to play the NES for the first time ever, the Nintendo Age room embodied what a bitrat actually is and should be.

I don't mind at all. I appreciate the help. I wasn't sure it you guys were cool with people being directed away from the site.
We have more in the works and are hoping to build upon our work from the Haunted series.
I'm loving the site. I hope to help get more people involved.